TATA Safari Review

Today’s review is about Harrier’s elder brother, the H7X, the Buzzard, the Cassini, the Gravitas. No, no the Harrier has only one elder brother and that is the Safari. So, then who are these four, these are the names of the same Safari that were used by TATA Motors before settling down for the name THE SAFARI. So, the Tata Safari happens to be the latest and the most luxurious offering from the home-grown manufacturer TATA Motors that competes with MG Hector Plus and Toyota Innova Crysta to some extent.

Design-

This is the section where I don’t need to write much because in my previous blog, I have gone nuts praising the design of the Harrier, and the Safari is no different. Being based on the same platform as that of the Harrier, the safari is just 63mm longer and 80 mm taller than the Harrier and all that extra dimension goes into making enough space for the 3rd-row seats. At the front, the Safari gets the new Tri-arrow grill finished in chrome, a greyish skid plate and a slight change in the positioning of the chrome strip near the headlamps that help to distinguish between the two. Come to the side and you will notice the change in the size of the car, this is the angle where you can mistake the Safari for Land Rover Discovery or even Mercedes GLS.

The SUV looks big from the side profile and has a mature stance. The wheels although have the same design, they are a size up than the Harrier. The 18-inch wheels fill in the wheel-arches properly helping the SUV look proportionate. The rear end of the Safari is slightly upright and gets a dual-LED light strip too. The rear wiper is small in size but it makes the SUV look cute. The lower bumper is painted black and a black cladding runs throughout the car giving it SUV feel. SAFARI is spelt nicely on the boot lid.

Performance-

The Safari comes with only one engine and two transmission options. It is a 2.0-litre fiat sourced diesel engine that produces 170PS and 350 Nm which you will also find in the Harrier, Jeep Compass, MG Hector and MG Hector Plus. The engine is very refined on the inside and only after 3000 RPM, some amount of noise starts filtering into the cabin. This 170 Ps power feels adequate for Safari. The engine is so powerful that you don’t even realise when you have reached triple digit speeds. There are 2 transmission options- Hyundai sourced 6-speed torque converter automatic or 6-speed manual. In this review, I will talk only about the manual. (If you want to know how the Automatic drives, please read my Harrier review.)

Manual- The Safari gets the same 6-speed manual which you can also get in the Harrier and after driving the car for almost 320 km, I would like to report that the gearbox is good, not the best. The gearshifts were a bit hard for my expectations. The drivability of 1st and 2nd gear is not very good as you need to constantly change the gears in city driving, From 3rd gear onwards the drivability starts improving and SUV picks up speed even when you are one gear up. The SUV picks up pace in 6th gear at low speeds such as even 80 km/hr.

The clutch is a bit on the heavier side but that’s the case with all other 2.0 litre engine SUVs as well. The Eco, City, and Sports mode doesn’t make drastic changes in the manual Safari. I think the City mode is the best of both worlds, the engine performs nicely and gives good fuel efficiency too. Talking about efficiency you can expect the Safari to give around 12 kmpl in the city and around 16 kmpl out on the highway. I would personally recommend everyone to go for the automatic gearbox.

Interior and Cabin space-

Just as big as the Safari looks on the outside, it is on the inside as well. The car feels spacious and airy thanks to its big Panoramic Roof and windows. The door pockets are so huge that each door can hold 3 big size bottles each and overall there are many storage places in the car. The dashboard layout is clean with an 8.8-inch touchscreen neatly mounted in the eyesight. The wooden finish on the dashboard adds to the premiumness of the car. The AC vents and control panel gets a gloss black finish. I particularly love the quality of the temperature control knob. The top variants of the Safari get Electric Handbrake, however lower variants get that aircraft-style handbrake which looks unique and needs time getting used to. The overall quality of the interior feels top-notch. The 8.8-inch touch screen is big and nice to use. It gets Android Auto and Apple car play. The 9 speaker JBL system ( 4 speakers 4 tweeters and subwoofer with amplifier) is the best in class. The instrument cluster is part digital with the speedometer being analogue. The digital display is nice and clear to read which changes according to the driving modes. I love the steering of all TATA cars and the Safari is no different, the steering is big and being hydraulic it isn’t that light that offers good confidence on the highway, although the heaviness can be felt in tight parking spaces. One major advantage is the steering can be adjusted for both Reach as well as Rake so finding a good position is easy.

The seats are leather-wrapped including the door handles which feels quite premium. The Safari gets Oyster white leather seat upholstery which gives the car a premium feel but these seats will hard to maintain in the longer run. The front seats are nice and comfortable offering good bolstering and the driver gets 6-way electric adjust too. The rear seat is huge with good under-thigh support. The car is wide enough to seat 3 with utmost comfort at the rear. The rear seat also gets a centre armrest for the added comfort however sun blinds are missing which should have been offered. The 3rd row too is quite comfortable for adults having height up to 5 feet 10 inches approximately, taller passenger will find themselves uncomfortable. To keep the 3rd-row passengers cool and comfortable, it also gets separate AC vents and fan speed control, however, the entire SUV gets a single zone Automatic Climate control system.

With all 3 rows up, you get a mere 73 litres of boot storage, fold the 3rd row and you will get 447 litres which is just 22 litres more when compared to Harrier. 447 litres of boot space is big enough for airport runs and long weekends, which doubles up to 910 litres with rear seats folded.

Features-

I feel the Safari is decently equipped SUVs with all the necessary bells and Whistles. Starting with the safety features first, the Safari gets 6 Airbags, ABS, EBD, Corner Stability Control, Roll Over Mitigation, Electronic Stability Control, Hill Hold Assist, Hill Descent Control, Brake Disc Wiping, all 4-disc brakes and so on.

The Safari also gets Automatic Headlamps and Wipers, Auto-Dimming IRVM, Leather Upholstery, 8.8-inch infotainment screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, JBL 9 speaker music system, Rear Parking Sensors with Camera, Xenon HID Projector Headlamps, Cruise Control, Push Button Start/Stop, Automatic Climate Control system, Electric Parking Brake, Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), Boss Mode, LED DRLs with Indicators, Front Fogs with cornering functions. The Safari also gets drive modes such as Wet, Rough and Normal which actually take input from the traction control system and make changes to the power and torque accordingly. TATA engineers have done a fantastic job with drive modes as they can take the car out of tricky situations. It also gets Tata's IRA connect which enables you to control various functions through your mobile.

Ride and Handling-

The TATA Safari is based on the same ΩARC platform as the Harrier which is derived from the Land Rover’s D8 platform on which the Discovery is based. The front suspension of the Safari is also derived from that of the Discovery which results in making the car the perfect SUV for our broken Indian roads. The 235/60 R18 tyres suit the design well but are a little bit stiff when compared to Harrier. The car can handle even the worst of the roads with ease.

The suspension is so nicely tuned that even big potholes cannot unsettle the ride. Although being a front-wheel-drive SUV, Safari still inspires confidence in the corner. Being a heavy SUV, the body roll can be felt but it never scares you. The hydraulic steering is good and offers good confidence at higher speeds. The brake bite is also good with nose dive. The overall drive experience always keeps you engaged making you enjoy the SUV the more you drive it.

Concluding, the TATA Safari is a great SUV that looks stellar from whichever angle you look. It is big enough for 7 full-size adults who don’t carry any luggage, rides brilliant, loaded with most of the modern features you expect. The Safari is also available with a special Adventure Persona variant which gets a new paint called Tropical Mist along with blackened out exteriors. You can get the Safari with 6-seater option only on the top trims. The Safari will cost you somewhere between 17.90 lakhs to 25.90 lakhs (all the prices are On Road Pune).

With price touching almost 26 lakhs I think There are few features which should have been added such as Rear sun blinds, 360-degree camera, Front Parking Sensors, Ventilated seats, Dual-zone clime control and AWD as an option. The TATA Safari is an excellent overall package for everyone who wants a tough, modern, stylish 7 seat SUV. So, for around 1 lakh rupees extra over the Harrier you get 2 extra seats, all 4-disc brakes, Boss mode, TPMS, an Electric Parking Brake and the brand name SAFARI which I think is quite a good proposition. I know, being a Safari, it should have got 4-wheel drive just like the OG Safari but with the developing road infrastructure and manageable roads everywhere, there is a very small set of buyers who would actually go and buy a proper 4*4. So, I would conclude by saying Though this SAFARI is Front Wheel Drive SUV, don’t forget it comes from the legendary family of TATA’s and Land Rover’s having Off-road DNA inherited in it.

Disclaimer-Some Photos are taken from TATA Motors official website.